Going Global with Mike Morroni — LATAM, UAE, Tariffs, Nearshoring & How to Expand

Summary

Podcast Summary: Stay Tranquilo – Going Global with Mike Morroni

Episode Date: November 12, 2025
Host: Stay Tranquilo Network
Guest: Mike Morroni, Head of Global Expansion at H&Co.

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Episode Overview

In this laid-back but insightful episode, Stay Tranquilo welcomes Mike Morroni, who leads the global expansion division at H&Co. The conversation centers on the dynamics, strategy, and mindset required for companies looking to expand internationally. Mike draws from his extensive career across over 100 countries, including stints living in Europe and Miami, to share practical advice about global business, tariffs, nearshoring, and the unique cultural experiences that come with working worldwide.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Mike's International Background and Role at H&Co.

[02:12] – [04:38]

• Mike’s career has always involved international business – from financial services in Spain to helping companies expand in London, and now leading global expansion efforts from Miami.
• H&Co. supports companies moving both into and out of the US, as well as expansion between emerging markets (e.g., Brazil to Colombia).
• Analogy: H&Co. handles behind-the-scenes logistics ("flying the plane") so clients focus on their core goals.

Quote:

“Our job is to just help people get where they want to go so they can achieve what they want to do. So they don’t have to worry about the logistics of it, and they don’t have to worry about, once they’re there, how’s it going to work?”
— Mike [03:49]

2. The Evolution of Global Expansion & Why Companies Expand

[04:38] – [06:49]

• Reasons for expansion:
  • Access to new audiences/markets, often triggered by digital exposure (TikTok, Instagram).
  • Cost efficiency; e.g., hiring in Colombia/Chile where salaries are lower than Miami.
  • Mergers and acquisitions (M&A).
• Not just large companies—smaller startups with $5–10 million revenue also expand globally, depending on opportunity rather than size.

Quote:

"You could have a smaller company...who sees opportunities and wants to go after it.”
— Mike [07:19]

3. Funding International Expansion

[08:26] – [09:03]

• Expansion can be internally funded or through external investment—especially common in tech, where global potential can drive funding rounds.

4. End-to-End Support from H&Co.

[09:14] – [11:04]

• Holistic services: market analysis, company incorporation, registrations, taxes, accounting, HR, legal compliance.
• Partnerships: For services they don’t provide directly, they connect clients to trusted partners (e.g., office spaces).
• Technology: Assistance with ERP, accounting/HR tech stack to operate abroad smoothly.

Quote:

“...if you’re sitting in Boston and you’re entering into Argentina, there’s just so much you don’t know...having someone who knows the right people and knows the right way to operate can absolutely help.”
— Mike [11:22]

5. Consulting and Market Selection

[12:07] – [12:37]

• H&Co. advises on which countries make sense for expansion—not just based on market potential, but also on taxation, treaties, and operational complexity.

6. Current Hotspots for Expansion

[12:54] – [14:29]

• LATAM: Brazil, Mexico, Colombia (“the big three”), Chile, Costa Rica.
• North America: US (for outsiders), Canada (increasingly popular).
• Europe: England, Netherlands.
• Middle East: Dubai & Saudi Arabia—now for more sectors than just oil/gas.
• Asia-Pacific: Australia, Japan, China (complex but large).

7. Trends by Industry and Region

[14:44] – [15:46]

• Tech firms rapidly reach 40-50+ countries.
• Sectors cluster by region/industry; e.g., auto in certain areas of Mexico, gaming where regulation opens up.
• Some expand for favorable tax or treaty structures, not just customer bases (e.g., Netherlands, Luxembourg).

8. Tariffs, Nearshoring, and Shifting Trade Patterns

[15:51] – [21:51]

• Major recent shift: US/China tariffs have driven companies to “nearshore” production—moving from China to Mexico to avoid import taxes.
• Some US companies now consider moving production out of the US to avoid counter-tariffs.
• Rapid policy changes create complex, often unintended consequences:
  • Lack of infrastructure/rules insurance struggles.
  • Companies have to be nimble—H&Co.'s job is to help them adapt, not wade into politics.

Quotes:

“The smart companies, they don’t look at [tariffs] and say, ‘Oh, I can’t do business.’ They look at it and say, ‘What do I need to do to maximize my business now in a new environment?’”
— Mike [16:57]

“We’re kind of not into the politics of it and why it’s happening. We just need to help companies react to what happens.”
— Mike [21:30]

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9. Careers in International Expansion

[22:03] – [23:33]

• Recommended for passionate, adaptable learners.
• Cultural competency and firsthand experience valued over degrees alone.
• Get global: pursue jobs abroad, engage with international teams, and seek out exposure.

Quote:

“There’s a lot of learning...I couldn’t rattle off 10 countries where I know everything about. No one does. But it’s that constant learning and that ability to want to get into it.”
— Mike [22:13]

10. Mindset Shift: Thinking and Acting Global

[23:34] – [26:53]

• Firsthand domestic/international experiences open your mind to business possibilities abroad.
• Lisbon tech summit example: startups attracted by low costs, favorable taxes, and quality of life.
• Testing international interest is easier than ever via targeted ads and digital tools.

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11. Cultural Adaptations: Living and Working Abroad

[27:06] – [32:22]

• Mike shares stories from Spain (language/cultural surprises), Europe, and Asia.
  • Spanish punctuality (or lack thereof), Catalan vs. Castilian Spanish.
  • Cultural attitudes toward time: being present vs. punctual.
  • Ambition and work-life priorities differ; even within countries/regions these attitudes shift.
  • Japan’s loyalty traditions in business, Switzerland’s regional differences.

Memorable Story:

“I remember the first job interview I had...the guy was an hour and a half late...he said, ‘I wasn’t being rude to you. It just would have been rude to the person I was with for me to leave what was a very important conversation ... I'll do the same with you... I want to spend time with you.’”
— Mike [28:57]

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12. Sport and Culture: Global Experiences off the Clock

[33:27] – [37:54]

• Mike leverages business travel to attend iconic sports events worldwide (World Cup, Grand Slam tennis, football in Europe, cricket, rugby, etc.).
• Wild local scenes in Brazil, Argentina, Russia, France, and first-hand stories about tense moments and unforgettable atmospheres.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “The world has become a place where, you know, something gets on TikTok, gets wherever, and then all of a sudden the markets open up...” — Mike [05:06]

• “You got to see it sometimes to feel it. People need to feel it right. And experience it. Cultures are different too, right.” — Mike [25:04]

• “The advantage we have of being from the US is US products and US TV shows and movies have just gotten around the world so much...maybe less so than other countries who need to go in...” — Mike [26:00]

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Suggested Listen: Timestamps for Important Segments

• Mike’s Global Background: [02:12] – [04:38]
• Evolution of Global Expansion: [04:38] – [06:49]
• Holistic Global Expansion Services: [09:14] – [11:04]
• Tariffs & Trade Policy Effects: [15:51] – [21:51]
• Building a Career in Global Business: [22:03] – [23:33]
• Cultural Learning Stories: [28:01] – [31:00]
• Sports as a Gateway to Culture: [33:27] – [37:54]

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Final Thoughts

True to Stay Tranquilo’s approach, the episode balances practical global business insight with personal anecdotes and a reminder to keep things in perspective. Mike’s stories encourage listeners to embrace a global mindset—whether they’re business owners or aspiring professionals—and to value both adaptability and the joy of cultural discovery. Expanding internationally is as much about people and learning as it is about bottom lines.

“The world is becoming a smaller and smaller place...countries, at least right now, are becoming a little bit more protectionist, which means the rules are getting more complex. So in order to take advantage of it, you just need help to understand that.”
— Mike [38:40]

Transcript

[Mike]

This is a real good story about.

[Host]

Drew, a real United Airlines customer.

[Drew]

After almost four years of treatments, I was finally cancer free. My mom's like, where do you want to go to celebrate? I'm like, let's go somewhere tropical. And then pilot hopped on intercom and started talking about me. And I was like, what is going on here?

[Mike]

My wife beat cancer too, and I wanted to celebrate his special moment.

[Host]

That's Bill, a real United pilot.

[Mike]

We brought him drinks and donuts. We all signed a card.

[Drew]

I was smiling ear to ear. Best flight ever, for sure.

[Mike]

That's how good leads the way.

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[Host]

Good morning and welcome back to another episode of Cafecito icroquetas, a show brought to you by State Tranquilo and H and Co. Today we're joined by Mike from H and Co, who leads the global expansion team at, at H and Company. So thank you so much for being here and taking the time.

[Mike]

Thank you for having me.

[Host]

Absolutely. Yeah, we, we value you guys as a partner as part of this. We've love the interviews that we've been able to to do and it's been really well received. So we're happy to have you someone internally from the team. We did something with Edmondo early on which was great. So great to great to have you here.

[Mike]

Awesome. Well, thank you for having me. I'm excited to do it and it's a super cool set back here.

[Host]

Yeah.

[Mike]

And a lot of really interesting things going on for sure.

[Host]

No, yeah, we definitely want to get. The next thing is getting an H and Co neon sign so we can get that on set as well. And then we're going to get some customers and cups as well with the H and Co. So bringing it together. It's been awesome, but definitely want to talk to you and tell your story. I know obviously you've traveled kind of all over the world, so I definitely want to touch on that. But tell us a little bit about Yourself, your background and how you got into working with H and Co. Sure.

[Mike]

So. So I'm in charge of our global expansion division at H and Co. And I've. For most of my kind of adult life and career, I've always worked internationally. Right. So I worked for. For financial services companies, and then I moved to Spain, and then I did an MBA in Spain, and then I moved to London, and I was there about six years. And that's when I kind of got into helping companies as they're operating around the world and doing different things. And then I actually moved to Miami from London. Just got married. My wife and I decided we didn't like the weather, and we decided to move to the US and started looking at where's warm. Right. So it's kind of LA San Diego. Miami is the only places you'd probably be happy that are warm. And we decided to move to Miami 2013. It was a different world here at that point. I mean, you know, be out in Brickell and no one's around, and now you can't do that. And I ended up joining a company that was really helping companies that would incorporate need to go into new countries everywhere around the world. So it kind of took what I've been traveling kind of from my early 20s on. I've been to, I think, well over 100 countries and helped clients go into a lot of countries like that. So I've spent a long time doing that and helping companies do it. And I met Armando about, I guess it was about a year and a half to two years ago, and we started chatting about what he was building at Agent Co and what the plans were for the future. And I got super excited about it and so decided to join them and help build out really our ability to help, whether it's a US Company going into somewhere like a Brazil or Mexico or Argentina, or sometimes it's a Brazilian company who wants to go to Colombia or wants to come to the US or also go to Europe or Asia. So that's really what I do. And what we do is help them do that. I always kind of use the analogies. I like analogies for things. And it's like, so if you're. Let's say you've got a business trip, maybe you're going up to New York and you've got a podcast to do up there with somebody, you know, you're nervous about that, you want to get there, you want to get there on time, you want to make the meeting, and that's your job. Right. Your Job is to book the flight and to get there and to do it and do well. But you don't think about who's, you know, who's flying the plane, are they qualified? Hope the airline makes sure of that. Right. You know, who built the engine? Is the engine like that should be good. That's how I look at us, Right. Our job is to just help people get where they want to go so they can achieve what they want to do. So they don't have to worry about the logistics of it, and they don't have to worry about, once they're there, how's it going to work?

[Host]

Absolutely. And I guess my first question based off of, of the global expansion component, right. What have you seen kind of like the evolution since, I mean, you've been doing this with different companies now, but now with hinco. But what's kind of like the evolution of it? Are you seeing more companies want to expand globally? What's kind of the rationale why a company would want to expand globally?

[Mike]

Yeah, no, I think, look, the, the why is normally a few reasons, right? So one would be, yeah, they've got, they've got an audience there that they want to sell to. Right. So. So I think you're definitely seeing more of that. Right. The world has become a place where, you know, something gets on wherever it is. TikTok, it gets on, Instagram gets wherever. And then all of a sudden the markets open up. Whereas it used to be, you know, you were in your country, you did well, and maybe that's all you ever did, but the demand is now there from different places. You've got economies in places like a Brazil, like a Mexico, Chile and Latin America, Europe, you know, and then you've got the Middle east like Saudi Arabia and different places, but boosting up where there's, there's just huge demand for products from different companies. And so people want to access that. Right. The other side is sometimes, you know, if you. Here in Miami, right. People's the, the salaries have gotten quite high for different roles. Right. It's expensive if you're a company here.

[Host]

Yes.

[Mike]

And you want to employ certain types of people. So sometimes they look for other places to do that. In India, Costa Rica have been popular for a long time for that to have, whether it's call center, back office staff. But we're starting to see places like Colombia. Colombia has become really, really huge for that. Chile as well, different places for people to do that. So I think that demand and that comfort level of saying, okay, hey, this can work. Right. And it can work. And I like it because it's one. Obviously we help the companies, but it also helps those local economies too. Right. You're bringing jobs, you're bringing businesses there to support them. And the third sometimes is mergers and acquisitions. People are acquiring a company, right? They're going in and they're acquiring a company to do it. So I think what I've seen over the years is it definitely has grown. I think the types of companies doing it are really interesting. It used to just be the big companies, right? You do it, but now you could have a company you've never heard of and you go and look at them and they're in 30 countries. And it's just really, really interesting the experiences people are having and the success they're having.

[Host]

Yeah, no, definitely. And with those companies that are making these transitions, maybe to like a Colombia or Brazil or like a Dubai, Right. Are they already at such a, at a point financially, you know, from a success standpoint that they're like, hey, you know, at this point it makes sense for us. Like, is there, I guess the question is like, is there like a threshold or a certain place your business should be at where it then makes sense? I know you touched on the fact that like, you know, maybe resources and things of that nature, but from like financial standpoint, do companies, should they have like a certain threshold of where they're at to then make where it makes sense?

[Mike]

It's a good question, Right. I think a lot of businesses, different areas, they break down their clients by, you know, what revenue do they have? Do they have 10 million of revenue, 50 million revenue? For us, it's actually more about the opportunity. You could have a multibillion dollar US Company who's never left the US Right? They've had a good run. That's. This is where they're good. Their, their product or whatever doesn't translate internationally. That's right. You could have a smaller company. You could have a company that does 5, 10 million of revenue who sees opportunities. Right. And wants to go after it. And depending on the country, depends on how complex it is. Right. So, you know, if all you want to do is put a salesperson into a country to see if you can grow that you can do that in ways that aren't that expensive. If you want to put a factory into a country, okay. Then you need that capital and you need the ability to do it. So, you know, it really depends on the situation and what the company is trying to achieve for doing it. Okay. Yeah.

[Host]

No, that makes Sense. And these companies, are they trying to generate funding, investment opportunities as well when they're going into this country or are they working with capital that they have internally?

[Mike]

Yeah, no, that's a great question too. So sometimes it's internal, right. Us, ourselves at Agenco, we've expanded into 30 countries and that's been by the hard work of Armando and his team and entering into this country, sometimes through acquisitions, where you can fund that from banks or otherwise, but sometimes just from the capital of the company. Other companies, and you see this often in tech startups or otherwise, they may get investment or funding based on the fact that they're saying, hey, I'm doing well in the US I need funding to be able to expand globally. And that might be the reason that they actually get funding is to go and do that. And then. Yeah, that would drive it.

[Host]

Okay, got it. And then on your guys side, as far as what you're helping with, is it strictly more like, hey, these are some of the tax benefits. These are how you open accounts over here. Where do you guys come into to this?

[Mike]

Sure. So basically, I mean the way we like to look at it is. Will help end to end. Right. So if someone is even at that early stage of looking at how maybe Mexico would be good for me.

[Host]

Right, right.

[Mike]

We can help them with that conversation, understanding where they should look at. And then once they're ready to go, we can incorporate their business. We can do. There's always registrations you need to do. You need to register to be an employer or different things. And then once they're set up so we can help with the tax, the accounting, the hr, payroll matters with their employees. And then there's always legal compliance, things you need to. To be filing every year. Now companies need other things, right? There's other. And some of those we provide, like recruiting some of them. For example, we don't provide office space. We might provide an address if someone needs it, but that space. But we'll have partners who do that. So we try to basically say, okay, look, there's, there's certain.

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[Mike]

Things that a company needs to go into a new country. We will help them sort all of it. Some of it we provide, some of it we'll refer them to other people for.

[Host]

Okay, yeah. I mean, so it's a full holistic approach. And it may not be you directly that's helping them, but you can at least point them in the right direction and give them the resources.

[Mike]

Exactly. And nowadays too, there's the technology around it, right. So there's certain ERPs and accounting systems that they might need and we can help them with that too. Right. To tie that together. So, you know, like you said, we try to do that holistic approach, whether it's us doing it or a partner doing it, because the reality is if you, you know, if you're sitting in Boston and you're entering into Argentina, you know, there's just so much you don't know. Right. And you know, having someone who knows the right people and knows the right way to operate can absolutely help a lot.

[Host]

Yeah, it's, it's not an easy decision for no matter the size of the business, you know, to make that decision and leap of faith. And do you guys help with, I guess, consulting on those decisions as well? Like, let's say, hey, you know, we're thinking about getting into Latin America. Right. Hey, you know what? You guys shouldn't do that. Or hey, you should do it, but maybe focus specifically on this market. Do you guys even help prior to those decisions?

[Mike]

So we can help them look at the different markets. Right. So some people will come and say, look, I'm deciding between these countries. Sometimes the decisions based on the market potential. Right. Sometimes it's actually more for tax reasons. Right. So for example, certain companies might have a treaty with each other which, you know, allows you to sell into that country without having major hits from the taxes or from other areas, versus another country might be a bigger market, but actually it's going to be more complicated for you to operate. So understanding that whole picture, we can help them with.

[Host]

Okay. And I guess with some of the clients that you're working with. And I know based off industries, it may fluctuate. All right. But I guess with some of them, what are some of the countries that you're seeing are the hotspots for. For global expansion right now?

[Mike]

So definitely, you know, we kind of, you know, there's big three in Latin America, right. So there's Brazil, there's Mexico and Colombia. We're seeing a lot in Latin America. Chile is always on the map as well. And then you've got Costa Rica tied in there. Yeah. The US Is, of course, always popular. Right. So it's.

[Host]

Right.

[Mike]

Coming from outside, it's the biggest market in the world. Right. In terms of spend, so that's always popular. Canada has also gotten a lot more popular in the last couple of years. I think maybe it's partly to do with some of the things happening in the U.S. some foreign companies are saying, hey, let's start in Canada. Right. You know, let's try that. Outside of this part of the world, England's always popular. Netherlands, Dubai and Saudi Arabia have gotten incredibly popular. So the uae, Saudi Arabia has really become a place where only certain types of companies went five, 10 years ago who were more focused on the oil and gas or otherwise. But now everybody's. Everybody. Normally, it used to be you had a conversation about uae, then it was specifically about Dubai, and people centered their Middle east or Africa business, kind of headquartered it there. And that was the conversation. Right. And then how they go. Maybe Egypt has talked about it. Otherwise. Now, normally that conversation has both of them in there. So you're talking about UAE and you're talking about Saudi in the same situation. Asia. You know, Australia's, you know, I think for people from the us, Australia is easier to understand. Right. And in markets similar. So going there and then, you know, Japan's always interesting. Of course, China is very complex, but it's. It's a big market. Right. So people look at it as well.

[Host]

And then do you see kind of a common denominator across specific industries? Right. You, you know, you alluded to, like, tech or, you know, maybe CPG brands. Like what is there a theme of, like, where specific industries. Like maybe CPG is more popular in Colombia.

[Mike]

Oh, in terms of. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So. So, I mean, it is a mix, right? Because it depends on what, why they're going.

[Host]

Exactly.

[Mike]

You know, tech. They could be. You know, sometimes you see these tech companies and they're in 40, 50 countries and, and they had to, you know, go in there to access it. You. You do See, you know, certain brands. So, for example, Mexico. Right, Mexico. It's actually done almost regionally. Each kind of part has a. You know, there might be an area that focuses more on car manufacturing. Right. And a different area that focuses on area. So, so there, you know, you see that kind of kind of moving around and going there. Then sometimes you'll have a country that like opens up more to something. Right. You know, so. So they'll might be open up to gaming or something like that going in, but it really gets a mix. Right. I mean, I think there's certain countries that have historically been more about the way that you structure your investment. So, like a Netherlands, Luxembourg, a British Virgin Islands. So there you see clients using it less because they're selling into those places, but more to. To maximize tariffs or maximize treaties that allow them to operate.

[Host]

And you brought up the word that I actually, as you were talking, kind of came into my mind. The tariffs.

[Mike]

Right.

[Host]

Obviously, tariffs have been a huge conversation going on. How does that affect kind of these businesses now? Globally, obviously.

[Mike]

Look, I've. I've found it really interesting. So. So my, my first job out of college was for a company called Espeed, which was part of Cantor Fitzgerald. And the CEO then and, well, technically not still today is Howard Lutnick, who is now the Commerce Secretary under Trump. Right. And I saw him during the campaign, Trump, talking about tariffs. And I thought, this is going to happen. This isn't like just talk. Right. And I think, look, some people would argue that there has been tariffs that come coming against the US for years and years and years. And we had agreements kind of post the world wars otherwise to not reciprocate those. That was a long time ago. Right. And things change.

[Host]

Yeah.

[Mike]

So I think you can understand it to a certain extent right now, whether the really high end of it has been more about negotiation or about long term remains to be seen.

[Host]

Exactly right.

[Mike]

But I think Trump's also been relatively open that it's somewhat about negotiation. Right. I think our clients are looking at it. What's interesting is no one is the good companies, the smart companies, they don't look at it and say, oh, I can't do business. They look at it and say, okay, what do I need to do to maximize my business now in a new environment? So what you're seeing. So, for example, the tariffs on China and going there, you're seeing companies say, and this has been a conversation now for a few years anyway, they call it kind of near shoring, especially post Covid, when logistics were an Issue from Asia, moving products into the US or otherwise. That was happening already. But now you're seeing companies say, well wait a second, all right, I can now, you know, if I nearshore to Mexico and instead of producing in China, instead of having those tariffs on my goods there, they're coming from Mexico where I have a better treaty, a better relationship. So you are seeing people looking at moving where they produce things, what they do to that, even to that matter, Chinese companies, right, can look at, hey, well if I produce here, I'm seen as a Mexican company, know, which is something else Trump's actually looking at. But you know, they become seen as the company where it's produced and there's a lot of rules around that and complexity. The other thing which is really interesting, you know, one of the goals I think of the administration, what they've stated, is to bring jobs back to the U.S. right, right. Fair enough. Right, right. It's good as an idea. But in practice what we're seeing is people saying kind of similar to what I'm saying there is that okay, you know, instead of bringing it back to the U.S. i'm going to bring it to a low cost country that's got a better because it's still less expensive for me.

[Host]

Exactly.

[Mike]

I still get good staff. The other thing we're seeing is actually US companies who are now getting hit by counter tariffs saying well, wait a second, if I'm producing in the US I've actually got issues because I go to face those counterterrorism. So I need to look at what if I move my production from the US to Mexico or to somewhere else or to Brazil, which is the total opposite of actually what they're trying to achieve. Interesting, interesting. Now I don't think too many people have executed on that yet because they're trying to see where everything falls out.

[Host]

Still so fresh and new that you don't really know.

[Mike]

But, but we're seeing the questions get asked. Very interesting. I need to actually. Which is, you know, it's almost counterintuitive, but it's actually makes sense from a business perspective.

[Host]

Yeah, no, it's true. I mean it's definitely shaken up pretty much every industry across the board. And like to your point, the, the goal was bring jobs, bring opportunity into states, bring in more of the economy driven dollars into the states. But you know, the way I, I've kind of always looked at it since it's kind of been evolving and unfolding is on paper that obviously sounds like a great idea, but reality is like that's not going to happen overnight. Right. And to your point here, people are trying to find other opportunities that just make more business sense.

[Mike]

Right.

[Host]

And that might be, hey, I actually can't do it here. I might have to go to Mexico to do it because it's just more fiscally responsible as a company.

[Mike]

Yeah. And look, you've seen that throughout time. Right. It's not new to tariffs.

[Host]

Right.

[Mike]

You know, I think, you know, in the, in the first term of, you know, the Trump campaign, part of the promise was we're going to bring mining, we're going to reopen the mines. Right. We're going to do things like that. Which to be honest, I don't know, maybe they did somewhat. But reopening a mine takes four years and millions of millions of dollars. It's not like you can just flip the switch.

[Host]

Exactly.

[Mike]

It's open tomorrow. Right. But I think it gives people hope. Right. And people like to believe in something and it drives it. And you know, look, I think with anything, there's good and there's bad.

[Host]

Of course. Yeah, exactly. And problem is like, you know, these things take time. And then it's like, who's the next president? Are these things going to like, you're building this infrastructure. Does it even, like, does this infrastructure even last? And it's like, if you wanted to do this, why not build the infrastructure out? Right.

[Mike]

First.

[Host]

Right. So that when these tariffs do kick in, the systems are already in motion. Here we are kicking these tariffs on, and then essentially a lot of these projects can't be done. And I think that's where a lot of these problems start from.

[Mike]

Yeah, no, I mean, I think they've sorted a lot of it begin with, but also what happened with the tariffs is people weren't necessarily ready for them.

[Host]

Yeah, exactly.

[Mike]

And you don't have the infrastructure, but you also don't have the rules. And a lot of goods when they transfer across borders are actually, they're insured. Right. But the insurance hasn't necessarily. That would probably has caught up. But at the time it hadn't caught up to the fact that, okay, wait, we need to now insure these at a different rate because of the tariffs. Right. And so that was a big scramble, too. Right. There's a lot behind this stuff. Stuff that doesn't make a newspaper headline.

[Host]

Right, exactly. There's obviously a level of complexity that comes into it, and that's why you guys are, you know, positioned to help companies in a way when, when things get shaken up, you're here exactly.

[Mike]

Like Our way of looking at it is, you know, we're kind of not into the politics of it and why it's happening. We just need to help companies react to what happens.

[Host]

Exactly.

[Mike]

Right. And be ready for whatever's next. Right. And. And, you know, you said that those complexities and the things that come like that, you know, the way we view it is our clients, we don't want them to have to worry about it. We'll worry about it, and we'll help them achieve what they want to do.

[Host]

Absolutely. So tell me a little bit, like, let's say I'm someone young and I'm interested in getting into your line of work. What's kind of like the pathway to be able to work on something like this?

[Mike]

It's a good question. It's funny, I presented last night to a group of students from FAU actually, who were looking at their next roles, and someone asked me that question, like, how do I do this? What do you look for? And I said, I just look for someone who's passionate about international business, different things that. That are international in nature, because there's a lot of learning. You'll, you know. You know, I've been doing this for years and years, and I couldn't. I couldn't rattle off 10 countries where I know everything about. Right. No one does. But it's that constant learning and that ability to want to get into it. I would say, especially for people from the U.S. you know, Miami's a little bit special in that it's international in its nature. Yeah. But is to get out, to. To get yourself. Put yourself in situations where you're working in other countries or you're working at least with people from other countries.

[Host]

Yeah.

[Mike]

Because you'll learn. You'll learn how to adapt. You'll find things that are interesting and opportunities that are going to interest you to go after. When I first started working, I was in New York. And New York, despite being an international city, is very focused on New York. Right. If you're working in New York, especially if you're junior, you're not allowed those international opportunities. Right. And I eventually I actually left my job. I went and traveled around the world for a few months and enjoyed myself. And I came back and I decided I wanted to do an mba, but I decided to do it in Europe for this reason. Right. I said I needed to get myself out to do that, and that resulted. I did an MBA in Spain, and then after a year and a half there, I moved to London. And then I've spent About half my career in Europe, a little bit in Asia and then here in Miami and the other.

[Host]

That's pretty awesome.

[Mike]

It's been fun.

[Host]

Yeah, I can imagine. And I definitely want to touch on, you know, the whole travel and the different cultures that, that you've experienced. But I think something that you brought up, right, I was in Portugal, was it last, last November for the World World Summit, I believe is what, what it's called, the big convention that they have in Lisbon. I think they do it across the whole globe. But what was interesting to me is like it was tech focused, right? Obviously a lot of AI there, all these startups. But, but it was interesting to see you had companies from all over the world coming in, you know, exploring opportunities and maybe starting part of their company in Lisbon, right. And seeing the growth potential. It's like, hey, although we're a startup, there might be an opportunity for here because, you know, costs are low tax, you know, taxes are significantly low, place to live. And then it's a great place to live, right? And I, and I, and it opened my mind, you know, obviously like we've been doing this and it's like, huh, you kind of pigeonhole yourself in the, in this thought process is like, you know, local, Miami and United States, but it's like global, right? Like reality is like there's opportunity everywhere and if you could find a way to position your product, your brand, your company, your service in a way that can serve the need in any country, then like, why not think that way? And it, it opened my. My mind to just start thinking about things differently. And to your point, it's like when you go to visit these places and you experience new cultures, it just opens up kind of Pandora's box of your mind of like what is truly capable with your business.

[Mike]

No, I think you're right. Like that you've got to see it sometimes to feel it. People need to feel it right. And experience it. And cultures are different too, right. So you could have a great idea that's great for that market, but if it doesn't translate, there's all sorts of really funny case studies of businesses that have gone into countries, the way that they operate in their own country. And it wasn't that they had a bad product or a bad plan and they got excited about it, like you're saying, but the execution just failed because they didn't understand it.

[Host]

Right.

[Mike]

But I think you're like, the opportunity is there.

[Host]

Yes, absolutely. And I think that's what's the most exciting is just going to these places, immersing yourself in the culture so you could truly learn and see, okay, well, it doesn't operate the same here as, you know, maybe in Miami or maybe, you know, anywhere in the States. So how can I tweak my products and my messaging and branding to be able to speak to this audience in a more direct way?

[Mike]

And I think the advantage we have of being from the US Is US products and US TV shows and movies have just gotten around the world so much that you do need to adapt to the local market, but maybe less so than other countries who need to go in because people actually have seen the products or they understand what you're doing, which is also a benefit of just what's happened in the world, you know, with. Whether it's with TV or Internet or otherwise, that kind of the world consumer has. Has become. That's true.

[Host]

You get at this point, you could reach anyone however you want, you know, through. Through your phone.

[Mike]

Right.

[Host]

So it's like, hey, why not? And. And I think that's cool too. Right? You can almost kind of like test and learn. Say, hey, we're thinking about expanding into Columbia. Let's, you know, let's create something that maybe speaks to them in a way, put a couple targeted ads over there. And CPMs are cheaper over there from like a marketing standpoint. So it's like you could do a lot of testing and learning, which I think can help inform a lot of these decisions, too.

[Mike]

No, that makes a lot of sense.

[Host]

Yeah. But no, so talk to me about living in, you know, London, Spain and Europe and just kind of like the cultural differences that you've experienced between there and, like, the United States.

[Mike]

Yeah, no, I mean, it's definitely been interesting. Right. I think the, you know, I moved to Spain when I was in my kind of mid-20s, but I lived in, you know, I went there thinking, I'm going to do this mba, I'm going to get my Spanish is. And at the time I thought, oh, I took high school Spanish in the U.S. i'll be fine. I was very wrong. And, you know, I got better there. But, you know, me coming from New York had no idea. Like, most of the people there especially then spoke Catalan. They weren't speaking Spanish around me. Right. And the culture, even of the people from Catalonia is different from the Spanish culture as well. Right. So you had to kind of learn and adapt. But, you know, in my. So I was one of the first. I went to a school called Asada, and at the time they did a one year mba. And we were the first one of it. So we had a small group. It was only about 20 of us doing that. The school was much bigger, but 20. And there were people. I think of the 20 people, there was like 14 or 15 countries. Right.

[Host]

And your master's was in.

[Mike]

So I did a master's in International business finance. So kind of combine the two, and you learned really quick the differences between people. The funny one was Alberto, who was my flatmate roommate. We used to throw kind of parties for people. And all the people from Italy, from Spain, always late, right? You'd say, the party starts at whatever day, whatever time and hour, hour and a half later, they'd show up. And then we started figuring out that we needed help because you had to set up the party. So we'd schedule it. Like, if we wanted people to get there at 10:30, we'd tell people it started at 9. We'd know the two Swiss guys would be there at 9 to help us set up. So they would be on time. That's amazing. And then it would transfer. But these things come into business, too, right? You kind of know, okay. I remember the first job interview I had because I was trying to interview for jobs in Spain. I thought I wanted to stay there, and the guy was an hour and a half late to meet me for the job interview.

[Host]

And I said, no way.

[Mike]

What's going on here? Right? Like, it's rude, right?

[Host]

Yeah.

[Mike]

And what was explained to me, and he explained it to me when he got there. He said, look, in my culture and the way I work is the meeting you're in, and what you're doing at that moment is more important than whatever else is going to happen after. And so he's like, I wasn't being rude to you. It just would have been rude to the person I was with for me to leave what was a very important conversation, a good thing going on. And he said, and I'll do the same with you. If I need to be late for my dinner at home or whatever it is, I'm going to do that because I want to spend time with you.

[Host]

Interesting.

[Mike]

And so when I took it in that context, I was like, I went from being offended to being like. Like, that's a. That's a nice trait, right?

[Host]

Yeah, yeah, absolutely. It's. It's about being present in that moment and not really being so fixated to a schedule.

[Mike]

Right.

[Host]

Which I think us as Americans, like, everything's punctual and. And, you know, being in Miami, where we're like, that Hybrid. Right. Because you brought up that whole party starts at 7, but really it's at 9, but we're gonna tell people at 7. So everyone gets there at the time you want them to, because people just want. Don't want to be first, and they just run fashionably late to everything.

[Mike]

Right.

[Host]

And I think in Miami, obviously, we have a little bit of that cross, but I've actually never been to Spain. I've only been to Portugal. I'm actually going to be going to Spain next year, which I'm very excited about.

[Mike]

Any tips, you let me know.

[Host]

Yeah, absolutely. But the one thing I always hear is like, you know, the siestas and just like different pace of. Of living compared to here in America, where it's very quick and very like, go, go, go. And obviously a lot of ambition in America. So talk to me a little bit about, like that.

[Mike]

You do see that, right? There's. There's different cultures when it comes to ambition. Right. And what people value. Right. And different things. Funnily enough, though, in Spain, I'd say the siesta, from what I've seen from a business perspective, isn't really there as much. They might take a longer lunch in the afternoon, but it's not like, go home to you. Because the. The whole premise of the siesta wasn't necessarily go and take a long nap. It was you'd actually go home and have lunch with your. Your family and do things and have that afternoon break. And what people would do is they then go back to work and they'd actually work later than probably the traditional U.S. schedule. Right. So they might work until 7 or 8 instead of 5 or 6. Right. If you think of just a normal day. Now, some of my friends who went to work in Spain thinking they'd have that kind of lifestyle, the companies had adjusted because people started living farther outside the cities. Right. So you weren't going home to your family. Right. So what ended up happening was they'd start work a normal time, like 9, and they'd end up working till 8 because the culture was to work till. But they never got that break. Oh, right. And so. But I do think you can find ambitious people in any country. But definitely there's a difference between what's important to the cultural. You know, Italy, for example. Right. Definitely. It's a lot more about that family, enjoying your life, enjoying what's going on, you know where. And then, you know, you've got other places, but. And even you can't regionalize. Right. Like a Japan, people are Going to work hard and they want to drive. And, you know, there's certain things that are nuances in the companies that are really, really interesting. Like there's a loyalty if you've got a, you know, an employee who's worked with you for many, many years and they don't have a fit in your company anymore, in Japan, they help them actually get a job in another company who's like a partner who sort of just take them on.

[Host]

Right.

[Mike]

As a favor, they'll give them, you know, a job to do. Right. But it's kind of there's this ability to respect the people who have helped you get where you are and help them find a way. Right. Whereas I feel like in the U.S. okay, you know, you've hit your point. You're out and you're done.

[Host]

Exactly.

[Mike]

But it does differ. I mean, I worked also for four years in Switzerland. Right. It's a. It's a totally different culture in Switzerland. It's different in Zurich, which is more of a German culture, to Geneva, which is more of a French. Right. So.

[Host]

Got it. It's fascinating. I love the concept of traveling and experiencing cultures and just being able to learn from other people. It really just shifts your perspective on how to think. Think on things. I mean, you know, even just traveling, you know, within the United States, I mean, there's plenty of culture and differences. You know, you go from LA to New York to Miami to Texas, Chicago. Right. Like, we're all very similar. We're all very different at the same. At the same time. And just obviously the way we speak and, you know, what we. What our interests are, the way you.

[Mike]

Dress, the way people and people react to that. You know, so it's. It's definitely different. Like I said, it's different in the US Even within countries. Right. You can't assume that the way somebody is in Calgary is the same as somebody in Toronto.

[Host]

Right, Exactly. No, it is fascinating. So tell me. I know you're a big sports guy with all this travel. Talk to me about some of the sporting events that you've been able to attend.

[Mike]

Yeah. So I always try, like, if I'm in a city, I'll always try to get. To get to an event. Right. Whether it's in the U.S. you know, I was actually in Las Vegas earlier this year, and we were at an event, and one of the guys I was talking was like, you want to go to the hockey game? It was the playoffs. I was like, nice, let's go. Right. So, like, if. As long as I can make it work. I try to go. When I was living, living in Europe, I went to the. So we put in the, the current FIFA structure for buying tickets is just beyond my mind to understand. But back then you just essentially applied for tickets as a lottery. And this was the Russian World cup, okay. So I put in for semifinals and finals, right? And the third place game, not thinking I was going to get any of it, right? And all of a sudden my credit card gets hit by this big bill and I didn't know what it was and I almost, I almost called to block it. And then three days later I get a note that I got pulsed on me. Finals and the final and the third place game. Oh my.

[Host]

So you got all three of them.

[Mike]

All four or four semifinals, the third place and the final. So that was awesome. So the World Cup, Russia, whatever you think of Russia, they did a great job on the World cup, right? They did a really, really good job. So I've been to, I still need to go to the French Open, but I've been to the Australia and the US Open in Wimbledon. So I love going to kind of major tournaments, you know, if I can get to even, even smaller things. Right. If you can get to like a, you know, a baseball game in Japan, right. That's, that's tons of fun. It's totally different. They cheerleaders in the stands, different food and stuff. It's just a cool, cool atmosphere. When I lived in England, you go to cricket, go to rugby, right. I'm a big football soccer fan too, so I'm an Arsenal fan and been to Emirates and a lot of the stadiums there, but also went to the Classico in Madrid, which is Barcelona, Real Madrid, which is great. So I just love going to those, seeing the atmosphere, seeing how people act and what they do. It's just so much fun to just see those different atmospheres and get the energy from it. So hopefully can get tickets to the World cup here when it comes. It's going to be tricky, but yeah, I'm always up for different games.

[Host]

Absolutely. It's fascinating. Obviously, especially like in Europe, obviously soccer is huge and a variety of other sports that are also big out there, but it's just a completely different animal.

[Mike]

Especially even if you just go to a, a small town match. But also, I mean, even in this region, right, Going to a game in Brazil or a game in Argentina. Exactly. You know, I went years ago, I went to a Butofogo Flamingo game in Brazil and I mean, I was walking in the stadium and I was With a guy who was Brazilian. And we were about to go and he said, stop, stop, stop. Why am I stopping? I've got my ticket, I'm going. He goes, no, because see that like thousand people over there, they're about to rush the gate, right? Oh, wow. And probably saved my life. I mean, these people just because none of them had tickets, right? So they all ran at once, figuring they can't stop more than a few. Right.

[Host]

Well, this is what happened. That's what happened here. A couple for the Copa America.

[Mike]

But the atmosphere, I mean the game was crazy. It was, it went 4, 4 into extra time, you know, it was just awesome. Right, and you don't get that.

[Host]

No.

[Mike]

In, in the games here. I mean, I'm, you know, for, for my sins, I'm a, I'm a Jets fan, right. And I just think like, even when that stadium's full, there's no energy.

[Host]

No.

[Mike]

Right. And you know, maybe they need a playoff team for it to happen. But, but still, that is not much. There's not much going on, Right? Yeah, it's different. There's some places in the US where you do get it right, where you get that energy, but I don't think you get, you know, not too often you get like, you know, grown 70 year old men crying because their team won a game.

[Host]

Right, Exactly. Yeah. I, I would say the closest thing. You know, I think college football has a pretty significant passionate environment. Right. But it, it's just not what it is like in soccer or anything like that. I mean, those guys are chanting at every given second. It's incredible. And then you got the smoke and.

[Mike]

And I mean the level people take it to. So I went to the. In soccer Europe, you've got the European championships, right. So you've got. So it's kind of every two years in between the World cup, right. And I went to the one in France and we went to. It was England versus Russia. And I don't know if you remember, this was back years ago, the fights that were going on, not just at the game, but in the two days building up to the game in the city. It was scary.

[Host]

Yeah.

[Mike]

Like, and there was a point where right at the end of the game, England was winning and the Russian fans just started punching and hitting anybody. And I was there, you know, with my wife and a couple other people and we're like, we need to get out of it. Yeah, this is. Stop. Exactly.

[Host]

Right, exactly. They've crossed the line of what? Where the energy is like fun and exciting now. It's like, this is dangerous.

[Mike]

Yeah. But that's also the passion that comes with it.

[Host]

Right. It's personal. It's passion. Like it is.

[Mike]

Is.

[Host]

It is a unique experience.

[Mike]

It's funny how they say, you know, in the US and meetings, don't talk politics. Right, right. Sometimes in. In Europe or other parts, just don't talk about your football. You never know who the person across the table.

[Host]

Yeah, no, it's awesome. It's awesome. Well, I mean, you. You've lived a great life, you know, of. Of travel, and I think that's. That's always a very ambitious goal for a lot of people. So to be able to intertwine that with your line of work is great. And I think you've provided a lot of insight as to, you know, what, obviously you do, how you can help companies and for future generations maybe to get into this line of work. I think it's not going away. Right.

[Mike]

Look, I mean, yeah, the world is becoming a smaller and smaller place, and countries, at least right now, are becoming a little bit more protectionist, which means the rules are getting more complex. So in order to take advantage of it, you just need help to understand that.

[Host]

Absolutely. Absolutely. Well, enjoyed the heck out of this conversation. It was. It was a great convo. Very insightful. It has me kind of like. I'm like, damn. I want. I want to learn more about this, about this world, because it is exciting. It's interesting. Like I said, I love just kind of like the whole cultural component and the global component of business and just lifestyle as well. I think it's always so interesting. So maybe we got to do another one of these.

[Mike]

Yeah, well, we're happy to do another one. Absolutely. But, yeah, we could dive into that. Some. Some different topics. So it's been a lot of fun.

[Host]

Awesome. Well, thank you guys, as always, for tuning in. I hope you enjoyed your cafecito and your croquetas, and we will see you on Friday. Thank you, guys.